Survey Results Underscore Importance of Jodo Shinshu Traditions
- President Steve Terusaki
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Findings Also Reveal How Much We All Seek Community and a Sense of Belonging in Our Temples, Churches
September! Where has the year gone?
It’s time to get back to school; to get back to work; and to focus on completing all those goals and tasks that we’ve been putting off with the excuse of summer vacations and being too busy with Obon festivals. It has been a great summer, but now it’s time to roll up our sleeves and push forward.
In this edition of the Wheel of Dharma, I would like to present the findings of the survey that was first published in the May edition in which I posed five queries:
Select the items that you believe are attractive to those new to our temples and churches.
Why are you a member, supporter or friend of the BCA?
Select the activities that are most important to you.
What is your age?
What temple or church are you affiliated with?
Seventy-three responses have been received since the survey was opened. Thank you to each one who took the three minutes to complete the survey. Your input has provided an invaluable insight into our sanghas and provides important data on how we might make future decisions in each of our temples and churches.
The responses came from every district of the BCA. They represented an age demographic that appears to represent anecdotally a cross-section of our engaged BCA Sangha members and the readership of the Wheel of Dharma. Over 45% of the responses were from individuals 60 years or older with 34% in the 40-59 age group.
The three other queries sought to identify what aspects of our temples were attractive and important to both newcomers and legacy members alike. The results from these questions were multiple choice selections without a limit on selection. Respondents selected as many items as applicable from their perspective; the results reflect the highest number of choices.
Select all items that are attractive to those new to our temples and churches.
The graphs point to a common theme. One significant aspect of our temples and churches is the welcoming and inclusive community that exists within our BCA temples and churches. One of the comments stated, “being part of an intergenerational in-person community where meeting with other people of my age group with whom I otherwise would never cross paths.” Other important reasons to come to temple were to learn about Buddhism; attend in-person Sunday services and special services throughout the year; and to attend community and cultural events such as Obon festivals and Bon Odori, food bazaars, Hanamatsuri festivals and Mochitsuki.
Why are you a member, supporter or friend of the BCA?
The responses to the question about being a member, or supporter of a BCA temple reflects that many have a long history with a BCA temple. Understanding the sample population that responded to the survey, 55% of respondents grew up in a BCA temple and continue to belong to those temples or have joined another BCA Sangha. Another 38% are those who have “crossed over” from other religious faiths; some because of a family member who is a Jodo Shinshu follower and/or because of an interest in Buddhism.
Select the activities that are most important to you.
The survey sought to identify what is important to each respondent. Key takeaways included the following offerings from our temples and churches:
In-person Sunday services
Community events (cultural festivals)
Special services (Hoonko, Higan, Hanamatsuri, Obon, Eitaikyo, Bodhi Day, etc.)
Buddhist education classes
Funerals and Shotsuki/memorial services
As stated earlier in this article, the survey provides important data points for future decisions for the BCA and for each of our local temples and churches. The survey also points to the need for a more rigorous survey to poll those who did not respond to this survey. Will those responses be similar or will they uncover missing data points that may inform a different direction for the BCA?
For example, the sample of respondents is missing many younger members of our sanghas. Will their responses alter our understanding of the importance of youth activities, a greater interest in the social impact and community outreach? Will the input from a larger sample of those who have found Jodo Shinshu Buddhism also change the importance of the Japanese cultural traditions that we have within our temples and churches? These are just a few of the questions that arose as I analyzed the data.
What the survey does uncover is the importance of our Jodo Shinshu traditions: hearing the Dharma from our ministers regularly at in-person Sunday services, and funerals and memorial services, including monthly Shotsuki services. It also uncovers how much we seek community.
Our institutions such as Buddhist Women’s Associations, Dharma Schools, Adult Buddhist Associations (ABA), Jr. Young Buddhist Associations (YBA) provide a way to promote the “belonging” factor within our temples and churches, an important aspect of creating a culture of welcoming. We often do not step back and see that the 125-year history of BCA has allowed the development and flourishing of these organizations. And despite the perspective that these can become “exclusive” and not “inclusive,” their presence is a statement to our evolution as an organization that has much to look forward to in our shared future.
Our Shared Future – BCA’s Strategic Plan Update and a Culture of Philanthropy
As we look forward to this shared future, the current work undertaken by the Vision and Strategic Planning (VSP) Committee is setting the framework for that future. John Arima, of the Mountain View Buddhist Temple, as VSP Chair, and Andrea Chapman, of Ekoji Buddhist Temple, as Vice Chair, have been instrumental in providing the leadership to ensure that the Strategic Plan update approved at this year’s National Council Meeting is a continuing conversation that makes the plan a living document.
Among the five priority strategies is one that is important for our shared future. It is to pursue financial capability. The first goal within that strategy is to: Establish fundraising programs into perpetuity.
As the Dharma Forward campaign is nearing its completion at the end of this year, the success of establishing a robust financial capability for BCA requires the importance of having a “culture of philanthropy” and the systems to ensure that such a culture is supported.
The Dharma Forward campaign is the first step in affirming this culture of philanthropy. We are seeing the fruits of the campaign’s success in the many projects and initiatives that have been supported by Dharma Forward donations. The recent July 2025 letter headlined, “We’re So Close…help us cross the finish line!” summarizes those projects.
As of the end of July 2025, we have received over $13 million in donations with less than $2 million to go to meet the campaign’s target of $15 million.
If you have not yet donated, please consider joining the many others who have pushed the campaign to this milestone. And if you have been a contributor to the campaign, please consider reinforcing BCA’s “Culture of Philanthropy” with a pledge donation before the end of the year — that pledge offered over your specified timeframe will mean that your total pledge is counted in the Dharma Forward campaign totals. Pledge forms are available by contacting Michiko Inanaga at: minanaga@bcahq.org.
Stay tuned for updates on the various ways that your Dharma Forward contributions are making a difference across the BCA and for your temple and church in particular.